December 8th, Rifle & Revolver

[RanchRoper]

A gorgeous sunny winter day! Only 4F though, so for some reason I had the range to myself. Fresh snowfall, no wind at all, and crisp air. Took my 1860 Henry and my 1871 Colt Richards revolver. 45 Colt for both as most of you know, I am the 1 caliber guy on the forum. Took 50 rounds with me.

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First up, 50 yds with the 1860 Henry rifle shooting from 1 knee. 12 rounds of 200 gr LRNFP with 6.6 gn of Universal. Very nice round to shoot. Rifle performed great as usual, even in the bitter cold.

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Rare to have no wind so I put the rest of the rounds on a 50 yd 12" target with just my pistol...kinda' all over the place but this was 1 hand shooting. Got most on the paper and even a few near the middle... With 30+ rounds into that bad guy, he ain't gettin' up...what a fun SA revolver to shoot.

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The firearms:

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Now to warm up in front of the woodstove....shoot safe all...RR

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[North Country Gal]

Not just the rifle. You performed great as usual, too, RR. Love that landscape in the background, by the way.

What seems to be the holdup on that 1885, if you don't mind me asking, that is?

[RanchRoper]

That is the Livingstone Mountain Range, and my place is just at the south end of it on the left and over the hill.

Ya the 1885....still waiting. I don't think the guy is jerking me around, he had to re-apply for his firearms import/export license and between Washington and Ottawa, there is lots of red tape. He was expecting to get his paperwork finalized this month so his shipments can move again. I don't know, will see what January brings. I already spent the dough on winter tires anyway...

[CT_Shooter]

Great shooting, RR. 30 rounds into a 12" space at 150' is extraordinary! Thanks for another excellent range report.

Rare to have no wind so I put the rest of the rounds on a 50 yd 12" target with just my pistol...kinda' all over the place but this was 1 hand shooting. Got most on the paper and even a few near the middle... With 30+ rounds into that bad guy, he ain't gettin' up...what a fun SA revolver to shoot.

[BigAl52]

Nice Job up there RR. Id like to find one of those revolvers in the States but I havent located one yet. I know you mentioned you had the bigger grip.

[RanchRoper]

Check out Texas Jack Outfitters.

[TMB]

Great shootin as usual RR. Your home is a beautiful place. I really dig your cases. Especially the leather for your 1860 Henry.

[fortyshooter]

Great "cold" shooting RR ! What kind of lube do you put on that 1860 Henry?

[JEBar]

very nicely done .... at that temp I wouldn't have even gotten into the truck to ride to the range .. .. with the snowfall on our holiday forum, that sure looks like a beautiful but cold place

[RanchRoper]

Great "cold" shooting RR ! What kind of lube do you put on that 1860 Henry?

Hoppe's in the barrel, and on the toggle linkage, and Rem Oil on all the other moving parts. Then the guns get a quick light spray of Rem Oil and wiped down.

ps....keep your rifle in a sock inside the buckskins or you'll have oily stains all over the leather....

[RanchRoper]

Great shootin as usual RR. Your home is a beautiful place. I really dig your cases. Especially the leather for your 1860 Henry.

That's an old one I had for the Henry, the new ones have a longer fringe and tougher leather. Got one for the 1885 HighWall too when it shows up...both from October Country online.

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[RetiredSeabee]

You are living the good life sir. You are obviously a hardy soul, at 4 degrees frozenheit I would be sipping on a brandy and putting another log on the fire.
I drool a little bit every time you post a picture of that gorgeous revolver.

[RanchRoper]

...you mean this one?

[BigAl52]

I see 1860 colt conversions but no 1871

[RanchRoper]

The 1860's were converted to cartridges in 1871, Colt had to wait for the patent to expire that S&W had. It expired in 1869, and Colt started taking all of the 1860 percussion parts in inventory and made the cartridge conversions. Mine is actually an 1860 SA Army, but stamped 1871 when they would have converted it. Think that's how the story goes.

This is the one I have...so you are correct, I should refer to it by it's actual name...the 1860

https://www.cimarron-firearms.com/produ ... pe-ii.html


*Here we go, right from the website:

With his 1871 patent to convert percussion, front-loading revolvers to breech loading metallic cartridge arms, Colt employee Charles B. Richards was able to inexpensively convert the company's arms already in stock to the new self-contained cartridge system. Colt also produced a number of them, once the old percussion parts ran out, as newly manufactured breech loaders. This, the first truly practical method of updating their guns to handle the then-new metallic cased ammunition, allowed Colt to sell these sixguns at a competitive price of just a few dollars, compared to other metallic cartridge revolvers. In total, around 9,000 Richards Transition Models were manufactured between 1871-1878. Their low cost, combined with their modernization proved popular with folks, especially in the Western territories. Wild Bill Hickok was believed to have packed Richards conversions in his last years.

[BigAl52]

Ok no problem there is some of those available on Gunbraker. As soon as I can get a hold of that guy with the red hat with the white ball on the end of it maybe I can convince him I could use one. That is if that deer with the red light can find his way here

[RanchRoper]

You will love the 8" barrel and the larger grip. A real hefty revolver.

[markiver54]

RR, you surely are a courageous man with thick skin to endure your way of life.
In those conditions, seeing how well you shoot, is amazing. Can only imagine how well you would do in a warm climate!

[RanchRoper]

It was actually a very nice winter day if you're dressed for it. My shooting hand gets a little cold, so have to take mini-breaks and warm up. I have trouble shooting with gloves on. Maybe try some tighter cotton gloves at the range. I'm sure arctic temps don't do my arthritis any good, but oh well. It will be summer soon enough. The older I get the hands on the clock start to move more like a fan.

[markiver54]

The older I get the hands on the clock start to move more like a fan.

Very true!! And that ain't cool.